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Gov. McCrory intimated during his press conference last week that he would consider vetoing legislation passed during the waning days of session that would require drug tests for public assistance applicants. Today, a trio of civil rights groups will provide him with all the ammunition he needs to do just that.

In a letter emailed yesterday and to be hand-delivered today, the ACLU of North Carolina, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and the North Carolina Justice Center told the Governor that the controversial proposal “wastes State resources and infringes on the constitutional rights of those on public assistance.”

This is from the letter:

“House Bill 392 sprang from the baseless narrative that public assistance programs are rife with criminals and drug abusers. The legislature provided no evidence that this is true because it isn’t. The truth is North Carolinians who apply for public assistance cannot afford to pay upfront for a drug test, State agencies already efficiently screen applicants for drug use, and our State as a whole cannot afford wasteful new expenditures. Most importantly, the privacy and dignity of those on public assistance is protected by the federal and state constitutions just like anyone else. The ACLU-NC, NCJC, and SCSJ ask that you veto HB 392 to preserve the rights of all North Carolinians and to advance the fiscal and societal interests of our state.”